


Interplanetary Sociology

by jabedalien



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Space, Asexual Jeff Winger, Canon Asexual Character, M/M, Space Pirates, Support Britta Perry's Android Revolution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:55:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29053992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jabedalien/pseuds/jabedalien
Summary: “Hello?” A woman’s voice finally calls, echoing through the main floor of the ship. “This is The U.S.S. Kentucky, we’re looking for assistance.”...“Kentucky, this is the Greendale, we hear you.” Abed says. “We’ll open the loading dock and let you in.”
Relationships: Britta Perry & Jeff Winger, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 17
Kudos: 47





	Interplanetary Sociology

**Author's Note:**

> I figured if I wasn't going to live up to the Jabed part of my username, I at least needed to live up to the Alien one. I promise I did not intend for this to be a guardians of the galaxy au but those are very much the vibes.
> 
> Shoutout to all the cowboys, steel slabbers, willy jr x pavel shippers, and otherwise lovely friends of mine :)

“Hey Jeff, that ship’s well within range now, see anything interesting?” Britta asks. “My zoom’s not working.”

“I’ll go look. And add that to the never-ending repairs list, I guess.” Jeff says.

He gets up and walks right up to the main window, the sun of the closest solar system barely visible and inky black surrounding them from every other angle. The spaceship coming towards them is a once-bright white marred by years of wear. It’s a small ship, one that could be efficient if it wasn’t in such shitty condition. He looks again and can tell there’s a thruster out on their left side. Plus a few dents in the hull whose damage seems more than just cosmetic.

“Abed, you gotten through to them yet?” Jeff asks.

“I’m picking something up right now.” Abed says, moving his headphones to the side. “Wanna run it through the speakers, Britta?”

“Sure thing.” Britta answers, pressing a button and playing static through loud enough that Abed has to cover his ears again as he makes the connection.

 _“Hello?”_ A woman’s voice finally calls, echoing through the main floor of the ship. _“This is The U.S.S. Kentucky, we’re looking for assistance.”_

“Ooo, a distress call.” Britta says excitedly. “Think it’s a trap? That might be fun. If not, they’ve got a small enough ship, we could probably loot it.”

“I don’t think it’s a trap.” Abed says. “I’m not getting evidence of any major weaponry, unless there’s something I’m missing.”

Britta looks down at the control board for a second. “Nope, nothing. So we could _definitely_ loot it.”

“Jeez Britta, you’re dead set on making us the biggest assholes in the galaxy.” Jeff groans.

 _“What’s going on, is anyone out there?”_ A different woman’s voice says in a higher pitch. _“We need help, sooner rather than later. Our ship’s in critical condition.”_

“What’s the plan here?” Abed asks, his finger hovering over the comms button.

“Not sure.” Jeff says. “But they are getting… really close.”

The ship is so close, in fact, hovering next to them, that Jeff can see through the window into the cabin with its three inhabitants.

“Holy shit you guys, they’re _humans_!” Jeff says in disbelief. “I haven’t seen another human in so long.”

“Is that supposed to be exciting?” Abed asks with a raised eyebrow.

“C’mon, when was the last time you saw humans?” Jeff grins.

“We saw some…” Britta closes her eyes with a metallic _clink_ and considers the question. “387 days ago, when we were refueling. And the two of us are unlucky enough to see you every day.” She adds.

“Fair enough.” Jeff sighs.

“So we’re letting them in?” Abed asks.

Britta steps up to the controls. “Sure, what do we have to lose?”

“ _Kentucky, this is the Greendale, we hear you._ ” Abed says. “ _We’ll open the loading dock and let you in.”_

…

The first thing Troy notices about the Greendale’s crew is that there doesn’t seem to be enough of them to keep a ship like this running. It’s big, the kind of thing you could travel in for years on end without running out of supplies. The second thing he notices is the crew itself, which makes the fact that they’ve held this place together so well a bit less surprising. There’s one human, a tall man with a sharp smile and a hand not-so-subtly resting on his holster, then what Troy thinks is, or at least _was_ , an Earth model android, that’s got more than a few foreign parts stuck on her and only half her original face and hair left. His eyes fall to the third crew member, and for a moment he assumes this one’s human too, until he steps onto the main deck and Troy sees his impossibly wide eyes with huge, dark irises. He doesn’t know what species he is exactly, with pointed ears and six long fingers on each of his hands, a glow to his skin that Troy can’t quite place.

“Troy, baby, anyone ever tell you it’s rude to stare?” Shirley whispers, nudging him with her arm.

“ _Sorry_.” He whispers, but he swears the alien looks up at him and flicks his hand with a tiny wave.

“I’m Shirley Bennett, commanding officer on the U.S.S. Kentucky.” She says, stepping towards Jeff and reaching out her hand. “Annie Edison’s our medic, and Troy Barnes keeps the ship up and running.”

The man lets his hand fall from his hip and takes Shirley’s. “Jeff. Jeff Winger. That’s Britta, and Abed. Technically it’s my ship, but they do most of the work around here.”

“Is she your android?” Shirley asks, tilting her head towards Britta. “Not exactly a model I’ve seen before.”

“Oh she’s nobody’s android.” Jeff says with a grin Troy finds reminiscent of television game show hosts, particularly the ones that host the gladiator fights. “Out here, they’ve got a different standing than they do on Earth, and as long as you’re on _our_ ship she outranks you. All my crew does.” He adds, and when they all look to Abed he gives a sheepish thumbs-up. “Understood?”

Troy finds himself nodding along with Shirley and Annie. Things still feel tense, like no one’s been entirely convinced yet that they aren’t enemies.

“Our ship’s not doing well.” Troy says. “I’ve been holding it together by the bolts for almost a year now, but there’s only so much I can do. We’ve got a few days left on there at best.”

“And he’s practically a messiah.” Annie adds.

“Don’t think I doubt your abilities or anything, but Britta and I can take a look at it if you’d like.” Abed says. “We’ve got plenty of spare parts.”

It’s the first time he’s spoken since they boarded, and Troy tries desperately to look like he’s got everything under control, but something about him catches Troy off guard.

“No I don’t think that, definitely don’t.” Troy spits out, and he can see Shirley and Annie staring at him while Jeff just raises an eyebrow. Abed doesn’t seemed phased. “But I could use a hand.”

“Britta’s got an extra one in the warehouse.” Jeff says.

“I’m _so close_ to figuring out how to attach that thing just to smack you with it, and when I do you’ll be sorry.” Britta says back “But I can help with the ship.”

“So what exactly _is_ your mission out here?” Annie asks.

“Mission?” Britta replies. “We don’t really have one, we sort of just vibe.”

“ _You sort of just vibe?”_ Annie repeats. “Who the hell programmed the vocabulary on this thing?”

Britta’s cold, wiry hand hits Annie on the arm hard enough to leave a pink mark.

“Ow.” She winces. 

“If you’re actually wondering, she had a pretty standard language processing system until Abed showed her the wonders of Earth TV.” Jeff says.

“And next time you’ve got something to tell me, say it to my face, you melty bag of meat.” Britta adds.

“Abed _also_ introduced her to Android TV, which is practically incomprehensible.” 

“It’s the only network made both by _and_ for artificial intelligence.” Abed says, spinning around in his chair.

“They talk way too much about violent revolution for my taste.” Jeff shrugs.

Annie’s studying Abed carefully, like she’s trying to remember what she’d read about his kind in school, but he doesn’t seem bothered, just taps his fingers against his knee.

“How about the two of you go with Troy to take a look at their ship, and I’ll get the girls set up on some beds for tonight?” Jeff asks. “If Britta ever does need to reboot she stays in my room anyways. And do you mind giving Troy the other bunk in your room, Abed?”

“Not at all. That’s okay with you, right?” Abed says, looking at Troy with those eyes again.

“Yeah, definitely.” He tries desperately not to show exactly how _okay_ he is with it all over his face. Since the moment he saw Abed all Troy’s been able to think about was learning more about him, seeing his hands up close, finding out whether or not his skin was as warm as it looked. He banishes the thoughts from his mind, reminds himself that he just thinks Abed’s interesting because he’s never seen an alien before and all his curiosity is strictly academic.

…

“This thing looks like it’s seen better days,” Abed says, running his hand down a crack in the hull of the U.S.S. Kentucky.

“That’s an understatement.” Troy answers. “This ship’s gone on at least three missions before us. Maybe more, the records system was kind of spotty.”

They step into the ship, and Troy wonders how he made it as long as he did on here. Compared to the Greendale, it feels claustrophobic, all low ceilings and dark corners flickering with bulbs he couldn’t quite fix no matter how hard he tried. 

Britta pulls a panel off the wall hard enough to bend the metal sheet, revealing a mess of corroded wires behind it. 

“This looks like it’s connected to your navigation system.” Britta says. “It’s miracle damage like this didn’t send you spinning into an asteroid.”

“It was a lot of work keeping this thing together.” Troy laughs.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do better than he already has, even with our spare parts.” Abed says to Britta while he messes with a joystick on the control board. “It’s pretty amazing.”

“Just doing my job.” Troy says, feeling an odd sort of embarrassment creeping up his spine. 

“You’re selling yourself short.” Abed meets his eyes for just a moment, then looks back down. “Annie wasn’t kidding.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure it’s even worth it trying to fix this thing.” Britta says. “Shithead humans never should’ve sent you out in here in something like this anyway.”

Abed pulls a small notebook out from his orange jumpsuit and starts to write furiously as he inspects the interior of the ship. Troy peeks over his shoulder to see pages and pages written in symbols he’s never seen before.

“I take all my field notes in my native language.” Abed explains, adding another line without looking up at Troy. “So I don’t forget it.”

“Doesn’t that make it hard for the others to read them?”

“Well I downloaded a translator into Britta’s systems, so she doesn’t have an issue. And Jeff usually has Britta read him stuff out loud, but even if he doesn’t he says my language is easier for him to read than English. Something about the letters sticking in his head better.”

“Huh. Fair enough.” Troy replies. “Can I ask what you’re writing?”

“Just taking note of the damages.” Abed says. “And all your workarounds, which are probably the more relevant part.”

Troy takes them through the rest of the ship, stopping in the sleeping quarters to pick up what few personal belongings they had with them. Everywhere they went, Britta was tearing walls apart and downloading information from their ship into her databanks, Abed sticking close to her and adding to his notes. Troy can’t help but admire the way they work together, hardly saying anything to each other but working shoulder to shoulder completely in sync. Abed turns and acknowledges him every so often, but Troy can’t help feeling like he’s trying to hide behind Britta.

“What do you guys think?” Troy asks as they finish up in the engine room and walk back through the ship towards the door.

“We could try to buy some replacement parts, and I’m sure _you_ could get it running again,” Abed says,” but we’d be spending more than the ship itself is even worth.”

“Houston, we have a problem.” Troy mutters.

“Well it could be worse.” Britta tells him. “At least you’re all alive.”

As they walk off the ship, the door nearly falling off the hinges as they exit, Troy find his anger at the situation only building. Him, Annie, and Shirley had worked day and night just to stay alive on that thing, and in the back of his mind he’d always known it was hopeless, and hearing it from the others only confirmed it.

…

“Screw that stupid ship and our dumb pointless mission.” Troy mutters as he walks into Abed’s room, letting his bag slide off his shoulder and hit the floor. “I wish I never went to space.”

“Why’d you want to go in the first place? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Troy looks over to where Abed’s perched on the edge of the desk in the corner of the room, still writing. “Sorry, I didn’t really think you could hear that.”

“I hear everything.” Abed says back, pointing to his ears. “But I can pretend you didn’t say anything, if you want.” 

“No, it’s okay. I always wanted to be an astronaut, I guess. But I thought there’d be— I don’t know, I thought there’d be more to it. Like right now, we’re supposed to be going to Cloacina.”

“I’m not sure I see the problem.” Abed says, tilting his head. 

“Well you see, that’s _all_ we’re doing. Just _going_ there, not to like, help people, but as a PR stunt for Kentucky Fried Chicken. We’re gonna go to Cloacina, hop out, take some pictures and turn around. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. And the trips gonna take four years, at least, probably even more considering we’re stopped here with you guys. Maybe I was just a dumb kid, but I was hoping it’d feel like an adventure, you know? Exploring different planets and causing trouble, or solving trouble, or something like that. But right now’s probably the longest time I’ll spend outside the Kentucky for the whole mission.”

“Is this an adventure?” Abed asks, and it seems so genuine, like there’s a real, factual answer he’s expecting Troy to give.

When Troy turns to him, Abed’s eyes are slightly unfocused, which he’s started to notice is usually the case. Right now, he’s looking at the zippers on Troy’s white jumpsuit like maybe they have the answer to his question.

“Yeah, this is definitely an adventure.” Troy finally says. “I mean I met you, right?”

Abed’s smile is the biggest Troy’s ever seen it. “I guess so, yeah.”

“Okay, now tell me about your life, it’s only fair. What’s it like on your home planet?” Troy asks.

“I’m from Callisto, one of Jupiter’s moons.”

“Huh, I always thought humans colonized that place.”

“They did, mostly.” Abed says. “My species hasn’t had a designated home planet for a long time. We’re pretty scattered, but there was a small population of us there.”

“So you’ve lived with humans your whole life?”

“Pretty much, yeah. But Callisto’s supposed to be a nice place, for humans at least. They didn’t really want us there, and they weren’t afraid to tell us. Not much of a life at that point, which is why I left first chance I had. ”

“How’d you get out?”

“I met Jeff when I was 18, he was still trying to fix Britta.”

“Yeah, what’s their story, anyway?”

“Jeff got about half of her out of a dumpster on Earth then rebuilt her from there. And he’s smarter than he acts most of the time, but definitely not smart enough to do it all himself. So he went around most of the solar system picking up parts, came to Callisto to get a new processor. I met him in the city and showed him where to find one, and then when he didn’t have the money for it I helped him steal it. We got back to his ship, which was in shambles, and I told him I could run things and help get Britta back online if he took me with him.”

“Why did he do it? Is he, like, in love with her or something?” Troy asks.

Abed shrugs. “I dunno, I’ve never asked.”

“I mean, do you really have to ask? You’ve known him for years, right?”

“Well Britta’s not some build-a-girlfriend. If he wanted a sex robot, he could have gotten one mail-ordered in an hour.” Abed says.

A heat rises to Troy’s cheeks at Abed’s nonchalant mention of sex robots, and he can’t tell if it’s the joke or Abed’s voice saying it.

“He can still love her though, right?”

“I guess.” Abed says. “I was under the impression that there’s more than one kind of love, anyways.”

“Maybe what I’m asking is what _kind_ of love Jeff has for Britta.”

Without missing a beat, Abed presses a button on his watch. _“Jeff, can you come in here for a second?”_

_“Is it important? Shirley’s helping me fix Britta’s eye.”_

_“Very.”_

It’s only a minute or two before Jeff pokes his head in the doorway. “What’s going on?”

“Are you in love with Britta?” Abed asks immediately.

“Am I—what the hell, Abed?” Jeff stutters.

“So that’s a yes?”

Jeff rolls his eyes. “No, I’m not in love with Britta.”

“What would you do if I took her personality circuitry and threw it out of the airlock or something?” Troy asks.

“I’d probably kill you, then the rest of your crew, then Abed for not stopping you, then myself.” Jeff replies easily.

“You’re definitely in love with her.” Troy says.

“I mean, I’d do the same thing if you killed Abed.” Jeff tells him. “I love her, sure, but it’s the same way I love him. I’ve never been _in love_ with anyone, not romantically at least. I don’t think I’m really the type for that.”

“So if you aren’t in love with her, why’d you care so much about putting her back together?”

“She used to be my bartender, back on Earth. And probably my only friend there.”

“Was she a good bartender?” Troy asks.

“Worst I ever had.” Jeff answers. There’s a nostalgic look in his eye that Abed knows only exists when he tells this story. “I never once got what I ordered, and when she thought I was going there too much she stopped serving me alcohol at all. We used to talk for hours every night, for years, until one day I came in and there was someone else behind the bar. I went out back and they’d stripped out every part of her that was worth some cash and left the rest in the garbage, thankfully that didn’t include the parts that made her _her_. It was just—“ Jeff stutters, clenching his fist for a moment. “I sucked at every single job I ever did on Earth. And no one ever _killed_ me for it.”

“You’re starting to get the point of Android TV.” Abed says.

Jeff shrugs. “Maybe I am. All I know is that I’ve got her back for as long as I’m alive, and she’s got mine. There’s nothing more for me to ask for.”

“I guess you’re right.” Troy says. “Never thought about it that way.”

“So are we good here?” Jeff asks, looking to Abed. “Was there anything you actually needed from me or was I called here for a pop quiz on my sexuality or lack thereof?”

“That was all, thanks Jeff.” Abed answers, waving him away.

“What’s with everything on the walls?” Troy asks, standing up to take a closer look at the overlapping collage taped up, maps of planets and hover-train railways, photos and weird paper currency and what seem to be restaurant menus.

“I try to bring one thing back from every place we visit.” Abed explains. “Souvenirs, so I remember where we’ve been.”

“You’ve been to _this many_ planets?” Troy asks in disbelief. “There must be a hundred things hanging up in here.”

“We definitely get around.” Abed says. “This reminds me that they’re all different, but mostly the same.”

“I think it’s really cool.” Troy says, inspecting a napkin with a little drawing of Abed and a long-haired alien with little antenna, and a note written under it in a language Troy doesn’t recognize.

“The ones people give me are always my favorites.” Abed says quietly when he sees Troy looking.

“What’s it say?” Troy asks.

Abed leans in and reads the message. “It says, _You’re really_ \- I guess the closest word in English is _pretty_ \- _I hope we see each other again in the stars someday_.”

“Did you? Ever see them again?”

“No, and really I doubt I will.” Abed shrugs. “They knew that too, it’s sort of just a sentiment. A thing people say to each other when they’re both just passing through.”

“I like that a lot.” Troy says, a heat rising in his chest at the fact that someone out there thinks Abed is pretty, when he’s suddenly hit with how eventful of a day it’s been and feels like he’s going to fall asleep standing there. “Is it alright if I get to sleep now?”

“Yeah, of course.” Abed waits for him climb up to the top bunk then hands him a blanket. “I’m really happy you’re here.” He says quickly, almost too quiet for Troy to hear him, just before ducking his head out of sight.

“I’m happy I’m here too.” Troy replies. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Troy.”

…

The next morning, the crew gathers over instant coffee that never quite tastes like the real thing, and discusses their plans moving forward. Shirley and Annie are reading over a copy of Britta’s reports from the Kentucky with a hopeless expression Troy’s sure he shares.

“Where are you all headed right now?” Shirley asks.

“We’re not up to much.” Jeff says. “Probably gonna pick up some shipping jobs in the area for cash, but the only real plan is to get to Abed’s home planet.”

“I thought you said you were from Callisto.” Troy says, turning to Abed. 

“I am, but my species started on Proserpina. There probably isn’t anything left there now, though.”

“Hey, you never know.” Troy says.

“How far are we from there now?” Shirley asks.

“About a month.” Britta says, then pulls up the flight plans. “28 days, 3 hours, and 15 minutes, to be exact.”

“Is it alright if we stick with you for the trip?”

“You’re more than welcome to.” Britta tells them.

From there the crew of the Kentucky finds themselves put to work running the Greendale, which is still a full-time job for them all, even with another three people on board. The work isn’t anything they aren’t used to, always just _one more thing_ , but by the time that’s finished there’s more to be done. At least on the Greendale, work comes without the added stress that their dangerously worn-out ship used to bring. There’s some semblance of sleep at night when Britta pulls double shifts and they’ve got enough hands on deck to keep things under control during the day.

Troy finds himself working alongside Abed most days, with Britta helping Annie get set up in the infirmary and Shirley and Jeff in a constant chatter with their own responsibilities. He finds that Abed listens much more than he talks, that he seems to be proficient in at least a dozen languages, that his skin is impossibly warm to the touch when they hit turbulence and Troy grabs onto his arm to steady himself, and that he always, _always_ wants to hear about what television shows Troy watched when he lives on Earth.

…

“It’s freezing in here.” Troy says, shivering under his covers after a late night, not sure if Abed’s asleep yet below him. “Are you cold right now?”

“Britta does this to save fuel at least once a week.” Abed answers. “But I’m good, my body temperature’s a lot higher than humans, if you—”

“If I what?”

“Never mind.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“I was gonna say if you were cold you could come down here with me.”

Troy looks over the edge of the bed down at Abed, who looks almost scared when he meets his eyes. “That’s okay?”

Abed nods once, blinking, and Troy climbs down the ladder, sliding under Abed’s covers next to him.

“You _are_ really warm.” Troy says, hoping Abed can’t hear his heart hammering in his chest as he presses himself to Abed’s side.

“Jeff and I used to share a bed, when we had this tiny pod of a ship that never got above freezing.”

“Thanks. I never would’ve fallen asleep.” Troy says, reminding himself that this was nothing more than a nice gesture, that Abed’s done this for Jeff already, that he’d do it for Britta if she could sense things like cold and tiredness.

“Can I touch your hair?” Abed asks suddenly. “It just looks really soft.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Troy stutters.

Abed carefully reaches an arm around and presses his fingers to Troy’s scalp in slow circles until he falls asleep with his head against Abed’s chest.

The next morning Troy wakes up, better rested than he’s been the past few days on the Greendale, and definitely better than any morning on the Kentucky, curled up to Abed.

“Morning. Feels like Britta turned the heat back on.” Abed says when he notices that Troy’s awake.

“Yeah, thanks.” Troy answers.

He wonders if he can ask Britta to save fuel a little more often.

…

When Troy gets back to their room, Abed’s awake, sitting propped up against the wall in his bed. He doesn’t quite look like himself, his cheeks gaunt and dark bags settled under his eyes.

“Hi, Troy.” Abed greets weakly as he walks in, offering a small wave.

“You okay?” Troy asks, leaning forward to see Abed’s face better. “Want me to turn on the light?”

“No, no light.” Abed answers quickly. “I’m just not feeling well.”

“Want me to go get someone? With like medicine or something?”

“No, it’s alright, there’s nothing they can do. I’ll just call them and let them know.”

_“Hey, not sure how much I’ll be able to get done, I’m sick again.”_

_“Don’t worry about it.”_ Jeff’s voice replies. _“What’s wrong?”_

_“Everything, as usual. My back and my head and what you weirdos call a stomach and every bone in my body.”_

_“You ever consider implanting your consciousness into a machine?”_ Britta asks.

 _“Constantly.”_ Abed sighs.

 _“Get some rest, Annie and Shirley can pick up the slack.”_ Jeff says before hanging up.

“Does this happen a lot?” Troy asks.

“Yeah, I think I just have a bad immune system or something. Maybe cause I haven’t seen a doctor since I was on Callisto like ten years ago.” Abed answers. “Britta tries her best, but all the medical information she has is for humans, so it only works about a quarter of the time.”

“Annie can probably take a look at you.” Troy offers. “Don’t think she knows about anything other than humans either, but she can definitely try.”

“If she’s not busy later I’ll go to the infirmary.”

“Is there anything I can do for now?”

Abed looks up at him, and Troy’s heart breaks a little at the sight, Abed’s frame looking smaller than usual and a pale, dull cast on his usually bright skin.

When he answers, his voice cracks just a little. “Stay with me?”

“Yeah, sure buddy.” Troy says, sitting down next to him.

Abed presses a few buttons on his watch and sets it in front of them, letting it come to life with a holographic display of an Earth sitcom Troy recognizes but has never really watched.

“I love humans.” Abed says as the show starts to play. “You guys can find humor in anything. It’s sort of brilliant.”

…

“You alright?” Troy asks when he sees Abed’s hands shaking as he sits down in the examination chair.

“Did I tell you I’m really afraid of doctors?” Abed says back with a smirk.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise.” Annie says, strapping a blood pressure cuff around Abed’s arm.

When Abed shudders again, Troy grabs his other hand and looks to him as if to ask “ _Is this okay?_ ”. Abed squeezes his hand a little in response, and as Annie’s running the machine he’s running his thumb over the wide knuckles in Abed’s six long fingers and thinking about how there’s no reason their hands should fit as perfectly together as they do.

“Temperature next.” Annie says, taking a reading from Abed’s forehead.

“What’s the verdict, Doctor Edison?” Troy asks.

“I’m… not quite sure.” Annie says. “If he was a human, vitals like these would mean he’s legally dead. Your heart would probably burst with a blood pressure like this. And none of us are exactly functioning with a 115 degree temperature, either.”

“Standard for my kind’s 121.” Abed replies.

Annie types a few things into her computer and then turns back to Abed. “Are you gonna hate me if I try to put you through an Xray?”

“No it’s fine, do what you need to.” Abed says, but he squeezes Troy’s hand a little harder and not letting go until the second he needs to lay down in the machine.

“God, this is _fascinating._ ” Annie says as she pulls up the scans. “You’ve only got one extra finger, but your hand bones are totally different. And you have a _lot_ of ribs. A few extra vertebrae too.”

“Can you tell what’s wrong?” Troy asks.

“Not really, cause I have no baseline for what’s _right_. But I’m going to try.” Annie says when she sees a flash of disappointment on Abed’s face. “If you’re willing to work with me, I can keep track of all this stuff to see what changes and when, maybe find some more information somewhere to study, and I’ll do everything I can. I promise.”

“Thanks.” Abed says as he gets up from the chair, steadying himself on the arm. “That means a lot, really.”

“Duty of care extends to everyone in the crew.” Annie replies with a smile.

…

A few days later, Jeff steps into their bedroom and shakes Troy’s shoulder. 

“Hey, the lights are out in half the cabin, think you could help Britta and I fix them? Sort of a two-person, one android operating the controls type deal.”

“Sure.” Troy mumbles, rolling out of bed.

…

“So what do you need me to do?” Troy asks as Jeff stops in front of a wall of breakers and cords. 

“If you rewire where you’re standing, and I fix over here, Britta should be able to get everything up and running again.” Jeff explains.

Troy smiles and gets to work, his hands moving fast as he instinctively _knows_ what goes where, even with a tired fog still hanging in the edges of his brain. 

“You’ve been here a few weeks now, what do you think?” Jeff asks, jerking his hand away as a spark jumps out on his side.

“I like it a lot. You’ve got a great ship.”

Jeff smiles, and Troy can tell how proud he is of the place. “My crew’s the good part, even if one of them’s particularly shy with you.” 

“Shy?”

“What, did you think Abed’s all quiet and smiley like that with everyone?” Jeff laughs, and Troy’s afraid it’s mocking at first but it seems genuine. “To be honest, I tried to tell him he can just flirt like he always does, but I think he’s nervous.”

“Like he always does?” Troy repeats. 

“Well whenever we stop somewhere, Abed usually finds at least a few people to pass the time with. Enough for the three of us, considering I’m not interested, and since Britta was originally a bartender, she’s just programmed to flirt with anything on two legs. Of course, she’s also _Britta_ , so what starts as flirting tends to get messy fast. And while that’s happening, Abed’s usually on some side adventure.”

Troy pretends he’s really interested in one particular switch so Jeff can’t hear the disappointment in his voice. “ _Oh_.” 

“What I’m trying to say you’re different. In a good way. I didn’t think his species could even get flustered, but you’ve definitely corrected that assumption.”

“I don’t know about that.” Troy says back.

“You good on your side?” Jeff asks. 

“Yep.” Troy answers.

 _“Alright Britta, we’re ready for you.”_ Jeff says into his watch.

 _“Got it.”_ Britta’s voice calls through the speaker.

After a minute, the lights flicker on. _“Everything looks good, thanks Britta Bot.”_

 _“No problem, asshole. Can I get back to my show now?”_ Britta asks _. “They’re about to bring out the guillotines.”_

_“Sounds great, but one more thing. What do you think about Abed and Troy?”_

_“He’s head over heels, poor thing.”_ Britta laughs _. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”_

 _“You mean how I am about you, baby?”_ Jeff teases.

_“Sure, Winger, exactly.”_

“ _Thanks for settling that, Britta.”_ Jeff says, raising his eyebrows at Troy. _“See you later.”_

Troy directs his attention to the wires again like they might have something new to say, and Jeff turns around, opening a crate of rations, already moving on to the next task that he’s got to take care of.

“You can get back to sleep for a few more hours if you’d like, Troy. And I hope you were alright with me bringing all that up. Just looking out for my friend.”

Before Jeff knows what’s happening, Troy’s wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. “Thanks, Mr. Captain Winger Sir.”

“No problem, kid. But you do know that buying a flying saucer on the black market doesn’t earn me a title, right?

…

“We’ve only got a few days before we make it to Proserpina.” Troy says as he wakes up next to Abed. It wasn’t cold that night, but Troy found himself sleeping next to Abed again without either of them mentioning it. “Are you excited?”

“Terrified.” Abed replies, laying sideways on the pillow to face him with a grin, and Troy can’t help but hear _quiet and smiley_ in Jeff’s voice. “It’s too late to turn back now, and I’m not sure I want to know what’s there.”

“Don’t you want to see your home?”

“I’ve been to a lot of places.” Abed says, looking out at the walls of the cabin, a living record of his travels. “None of them ever felt like home. I’m scared this one won’t either.”

“Nowhere’s ever felt like home?”

“No. But you do.” Abed whispers, and Troy can feel Abed tense in fear as he says it.

“Can I kiss you?” Troy blurts out before he can lose the nerve.

“ _Please._ ” Abed says back, more whimper than word, and in an instant Troy’s closed the small gap between them.

When their lips touch he’s melting into Abed’s hand on the back of his neck, dizzy like he’s been thrown out of the airlock and is floating through space. He doesn’t think anyone’s ever kissed like Abed’s kissing him right now, warm and soft and _wanting_.

“Wow.” Troy mutters when he pulls away for air.

“Yeah.” Abed agrees, reaching out to run his thumb over Troy’s swollen lip. “Can we keep doing that forever?”

Troy laughs and rolls over to kiss him again, reminding himself to thank Jeff later.

…

They spend the next few days making their final preparations for landing, and sneaking back away to their room for every free second they have. Abed checks the flight plans every hour, constantly watching as they inch closer and closer to their arrival time.

When the day finally comes Troy wakes up alone for the first time since they stopped pretending there was any pretense for them sharing a bed, and he finds Abed sitting on the main deck with Britta and Shirley, looking out the window.

“Morning, guys.” Troy greets, sitting down next to Abed and taking his hand in his.

Abed leans over and presses a kiss to his cheek, which earns him an elbow in the side from Britta.

“We should be there pretty soon, loverboy.” Britta says. “Only a few hours.”

“I don’t know if I can look out this window anymore.” Abed mutters. “I might have to find something to do below deck. But I also don’t know if I can look away.”

“I’ve got to pilot from up here or else I’d go keep you company.” Britta says.

“Do you want me to stay and watch for you Abed?” Shirley asks. “You and Troy can stay distracted, and I’ll come let you know when we can see it.”

“That’d be really nice Shirley, thank you.” Abed says, getting up and pulling Troy along with him.

He takes Troy downstairs to the storage room and pulls up the inventory sheets on a screen.

“Alright, wanna spend a few hours counting parts until our brains melt?” Abed asks.

“Only with you.” Troy answers, pulling out a box of screws and adding it to the sheet.

They work in relative silence, and Troy can see Abed glancing at his watch as each minute passes until he finally rips it off and throws across the room to Troy.

“What’s this for?” He asks as it lands in his lap.

“You wear it. I can’t look anymore.” Abed says, laying down on the steel floor.

Troy puts the watch on his own wrist and lays down next to Abed, counting bolts in the ceiling panels until Abed rolls over and puts his head on his chest.

“No matter what happens today, I’m here for you, alright?” Troy says. “We all are.”

“You’re home.” Abed whispers, tapping his fingers against Troy’s chest. “And so is the Greendale, I think. Maybe Proserpina will be too.”

“Boys? Am I interrupting?” Shirley asks, knocking on the outside door and half-covering her eyes. “We’re almost there.”

“You’re good, sorry Shirley.” Troy says as they both sit up.

Troy walks a step behind Abed up to the deck, where everyone else is milling around in what seems to be the same kind of worried intensity Abed’s been buzzing with all morning.

As the planet comes into view, closer with each minute, Jeff steps behind Abed and puts a hand on his shoulder. Soon they’re close enough for a real view, and they look out on the planet together. It’s beautiful, plains of black sand cut with bright teal rivers, clouds swirling through the atmosphere.

Beautiful, and completely barren.

“I’m so sorry.” Jeff whispers, his voice cracking. 

“Don’t be.” Abed says. “I really appreciate you taking me. Is it alright if I get out? Just to say I’ve been there?”

“Yeah, of course.” Jeff says. “Britta?”

“Already on it.”

She guides the ship into the atmosphere, and at a closer glance it’s only more obvious that there’s nothing here, hasn’t been for a long time. When the ship pauses, displacing the sand below it as it hovers, Abed turns to Troy. 

“Do you want to come with me?” He asks.

“Yeah, of course.” Troy answers, hoping he doesn’t sound as surprised as he is.

The Greendale lands with a dull thud, and Britta opens up the ramp. Abed holds a hand out to Troy. He takes it, and they walk down onto the ground together. The air is cool, but not uncomfortably so, a light breeze blowing at Abed’s hair. Abed takes a few paces, his eyes always watching the horizon, a bright, orange sky dotted with clouds. Troy thinks that if it wasn’t for the landscape, this could be a sunset on Earth. 

“I knew there wouldn’t be anything here.” Abed says after a minute of silence. “But I still had to see it for myself, I guess. It feels a little like home though, like the ground here is happy I came to see it.”

Troy doesn’t say anything back, just nods, because he wants Abed to have his moment out here, even if he wanted Troy to come with him. Abed walks a few paces, footsteps light with the low gravity, and sits down at the edge of a stream, gingerly dipping his fingers in the water. Troy sits down next to him, just close enough to feel the heat from his side.

“There were rocks that looked just like this on Callisto.” Abed says, picking up a pair of smooth black stones. 

Troy stares at them, held in the palm of an alien hand on an alien backdrop, but they’d fit just as well in the river by his house growing up. “We have ones like that on Earth, too.” He says quietly. 

“When you were a kid,” Abed starts, turning the two rocks over each other, “did you ever find cool rocks? And keep them in your pockets?”

Despite everything Troy starts to laugh, steadying his hand on Abed’s shoulder. “Yeah, I did. My mom used to get mad because I’d leave them in there and she’d find them while she was doing the laundry.”

“I would come home late every day because I spent so long looking for them.” Abed says, laughing with him and opening up his hand again. “Take your pick. A souvenir.”

Troy gingerly grabs the smaller of the two and zips it into the chest pocket of his suit. Abed does the same with his, then stands up and offers Troy his hand. He takes it, Abed’s hand fitting somewhat awkwardly into his, but it still feels right. When Troy gets to his feet he’s nearly chest to chest with Abed, who leans down and presses a chaste kiss to his lips.

“I think I’m ready to go back now.” Abed says as he slowly pulls away from Troy’s face, then leads them back up the ramp onto the ship.

…

“How was it?” Annie asks as they walk back in.

“It was nice.” Abed says, quirking up the corner of his lip.

“You take him down there to make out with you?” Jeff asks, pointing to Troy.

“Come on, they hardly even kissed.” Britta says.

“And how would you know?” Jeff shoots back.

“Uh, I was _watching._ I’m wired into the ship’s camera systems.”

“No you aren’t.”

“I may or may not have made that upgrade while you guys were sleeping.”

Jeff scratches his head before he seemingly decides to let this one go.

“What’s the plan from here?” Abed asks, looking around the room, his eyes coming to settle on Troy still standing next to him.

“Well, we're supposed to go to Cloacina.” Annie answers.

“Not to be an asshole, but I doubt anyone on Earth’s gonna come looking for you guys if you abandon ship. This thing’s falling apart anyway, they’d probably assume you lost power somewhere and drifted off.”

“But that’s— that’s treason, or a dishonorable discharge, or insubordination, or _something_.” Annie says frantically.

“What does it matter?” Jeff shrugs. “I mean there’s no way that thing’s even gonna make the trip to Cloacina, much less take you back home. If you want, we can bring you as close as we can get to Earth, which isn’t that close considering they don’t particularly like us there, or you can join our crew. We’ve all agreed on it,” Jeff says, looking to Britta and Abed. “but it’s just an offer, you’re welcome to talk it through.”

Shirley pulls Troy and Annie aside. “You’re my crew, but you can make your own choice.” She tells them.

“Well what’s _your_ choice?” Annie asks.

“I... I think I’m gonna stay.” Shirley says. “I’ve been at this a long time, and Jeff’s right. They don’t really care about us back home. And I can’t say this doesn’t seem like fun.”

“I’m staying.” Troy says immediately. 

“Really, Troy? Are you sure?” Shirley asks. 

Troy looks across the room to where Abed’s sitting, long legs propped up on the countertop. Their eyes meet for just a second across the room, and Troy’s never been more sure about anything in his life.

“Yeah. This is where I’m supposed to be.” Troy answers.

He knows Abed’s got an uncanny sense of hearing, wonders if he can hear what Troy’s saying right now.

“Well in that case, I’m staying too.” Annie says. “I’m not loyal to Earth or Kentucky Fried Chicken or any other stupid thing. I’m loyal to you guys.”

Shirley has a sort of motherly look Troy’s learned to appreciate from her as she meets both of their eyes. “It’s settled, then?”

The stone feels heavy in Troy’s pocket as he nods and they turn to face the Greendale’s crew.

“We’re in.” Shirley says.

“So, where to next, everyone?” Jeff asks, the orange sky of Proserpina glowing behind him and filling the cabin. “I hear Hestia’s a lot of fun, we could be there in a couple weeks if we get the trajectory right leaving here.”

“Sounds good to me.” Troy says, walking over to the control board and taking the seat next to Abed.

“You can go home, Troy.” Abed says. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay for me.”

“I don’t want to see you in the stars someday, I want to see the stars with _you_.” Troy answers. “And _home_?” he laughs. “I’m already here.”

…

_Hestia, Three Weeks Later_

“Order for me.” Troy says, passing Abed the drink menu. “I can’t read this and I have no idea what on that shelf is gonna kill me.”

Abed says a few words to the bartender, a tall, blue being with more than a few extra arms, and he passes them two glasses.

“Better finish that quick.” Abed says as he slides it to Troy. “We’ve got about five minutes before someone realizes that Britta’s helping Jeff cheat.”

Troy takes a sip from the drink, which is green and hovering somewhere between a liquid and a vapor, and the rush to his head is remarkably similar to smoking weed on Earth, then leans against Abed’s hand on his waist to see Jeff and Britta throwing chips down around a crowded table. Annie’s off to the side, leaning in close to a girl with long dreadlocks and more eyes than Troy can count. Shirley’s telling some story on the other side of the car that has the group around her laughing hysterically.

“She’s counting cards for him!” Someone yells, turning heads through the whole bar, and the betting table devolves into a frenzy.

“Yep, time to go.” Abed says, grabbing Troy by the wrist and tearing a poster off the wall for his room on the way out.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading!! I'm jabedalien on tumblr as well :)


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